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| Photo Credit: AndytheLemon |
Understanding character anger can help you develop your character. Now,
I'm not suggesting that you should make an angry character (or
that you shouldn't). But what makes your character angry can give you
insight into that character's present situation, backstory, current
wound/flaw/weakness, and other character traits. (Developing
relationships and character arcs are discussions for another day!) Anger, again, indicates that something is wrong in your character's life and a change is needed
Backstory.
Your character's life prior to the start of the story is sure to (or
should) include moments of injustice, unmet wants or needs, even threats
to her emotional or physical well-being. These events don't need to be
traumatic so long as they have a lasting effect on your character.
Character flaw or wound. Your
character's flaw is typically rooted in the backstory. Because your
character's flaw makes her reactive, you can work backwards to discover
the nature of the flaw. What makes her angry? Why? Maybe she gets angry
at "neglectful" parents or people's disinterest in homeless vets. Guess
what happened the the character (or someone important to her) before the
start of the story?
Other traits.
On the same vein, what if racist talk makes her angry, or people who
believe a particular stereotype, or people who drink excessively? This
says something about her beliefs, her upbringing, the people she will
respond to (positively and negatively), and maybe even her current
lifestyle.
Then there's how your character expresses (or doesn't express) her anger... But that will be addressed later this month!
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